On This Day In Aviation History, another rather unknown aircraft made its first flight,
The Grumman JF Duck.
Designed for the US Navy and produced between 1934 and 1936 a total of 48 airframes were built. the prototype was known as the XJF-1 and was piloted by Grumman test pilot Paul Hovgard on its first flight. After 1936 an improved version was produced, the J2F Duck.
The JF-1 that was first ordered had the same Pratt & Whitney R-1830-62 engine as the XJF-1 prototype. The US Navy ordered 27 JF-1s with the first Ducks delivered beginning in May 1934 to Norfolk NAS. These early production series had provisions for mounting a machine gun at the rear seat facing aft, as well as a single bomb rack mounted under each wing, capable of carrying a 100 lb (45.4 kg) bomb or depth charge on each. The main float was also a Grumman design (Grumman Model "A") and like the prototype, it included retractable main landing gear, making the Duck a true amphibian. Ducks served as general/utility amphibians for photographic, target-towing, scouting, and rescue work.
Besides the US Navy also the US Marine Corps and the US Coast Guard used the aircraft. A special export version was developed for the Argentine Navy, the Gruman G-20.
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